Abu Muslim could also see that Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the Demonic Emperor Old Man were also converging on his position.
The battle was settled!
At this moment, Abu Muslim understood that whether he was willing or not, whether he stayed or not, Khorasan was foreordained to be breached.
“Ah!”
Even someone as cold and brutal as Abu Muslim couldn’t help but give a furious and grief-stricken roar.
“Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi! The grudges between us won’t end like this! There will come a day when I come back with another army and finally step onto the lands of the Central Plains!”
With these words, Abu Muslim jumped off the walls and fled like a lightning bolt into the distance. An Aswaran Cataphract tried to catch up, but with a single palm, he was blown more than five hundred feet away. Even before his body had landed, his famed suit of armor had already been shattered into pieces.
“Hmph! Abu Muslim, you won’t get the chance!” Wang Chong sneered.
He activated the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art while also snapping Ziyad’s neck. Wang Chong felt no sympathy for these enemies of the Great Tang. An invader had to be prepared to pay the price for a failed invasion. Abu Muslim had just been pushed to desperate straits. If this pair had managed to win, they would probably have been showing grim and savage expressions, and calamity would have befallen the people of the Great Tang.
Wang Chong glanced at Ziyad’s corpse and coldly said, “Sympathizing with the enemy is just being cruel to oneself. Ziyad, be at ease. Abu Muslim will be joining you very soon!”
Wang Chong made a gesture, and a group of Tang soldiers quickly descended the walls and made their way to the eastern gates of Khorasan. In the distance, ten-some Aswaran Cataphracts were also making their way to this gate. Rumble! A few moments later, the tall and firm gates of Khorasan began to slowly open.
Khorasan had been formally breached!
“How is it? Should we pursue?”
In a gust of wind, Gao Xianzhi approached Wang Chong from behind, his eyes gazing in the direction that Abu Muslim had fled.
Chapter 1163 - War Compensation
Chapter 1163: War Compensation
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“There’s no need!”
Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi stood side by side, staring at the city of Khorasan, which was clouded with plumes of dust and smoke.
“Abu Muslim is the kind of person that is very difficult to catch if he focuses on escaping, and this city is so large that it would be very hard to find him. Moreover, what we need to think about next is not about another battle or killing any particular person, but the overall strategic situation. General Cheng, have you finished preparing the letter I spoke to you about?”
Cheng Qianli lightly nodded as he rushed out from the rear. “It was prepared some time ago. Shiyi was the writer, and it can be sent to Baghdad through those Arabian hunting falcons at any time.”
Top-class Great Generals always seemed to only think about the outcome of a battle, but Wang Chong pondered the strategic situation as well. His insight was enough to make any Great General of the continent pale in comparison, and this was also the reason Cheng Qianli admired him.
The army quickly surged in, and without the support of Abu Muslim or Ziyad, the tens of thousands of Arab soldiers collapsed and were wiped out far faster than any time before. Four hours after the gates had been opened, Wang Chong’s army had taken control over this strategic city at the western terminus of the Silk Road.
“Is this the Tigris River?”
On the western side of Khorasan, Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Li Siye, Yuan Shusong, and Bahram all gazed toward the end of the walls. From this point, Wang Chong could immediately see a vast and wide river surging past Khorasan.
This river was five hundred to six hundred feet wide and extremely deep. Although its flow was rapid, it was not as turbid as imagined.
This was the first time in Wang Chong’s life that he had seen one of the two most famous rivers of the Sassanid Empire. One was the Tigris River, and the other was the Euphrates.
These were the foundations of the Sassanid Dynasty’s civilization, and they now served as the two most important rivers of the Arabian Empire.
“This is only a tributary of the Tigris River. The main branch is even wider and more magnificent than what you see here. We Sassanids were able to produce thousands of years of history, becoming the strongest country on the shores of the Great Sea, precisely because of these two rivers. But both of them now belong to the Arabian Empire. They exact a heavy tax on anyone that wants to cross the river. When traveling east and west, we Sassanids have to traverse these two rivers. Every year, vast sums of wealth are plundered from us and sent to the Arabian treasury,” Bahram emotionally said.
Wang Chong silently listened. A few thoughts flitted through his mind, but he quickly put them aside.
History was already very different from what Wang Chong remembered. At least in Wang Chong’s memories, there was no tributary of the Tigris River outside Khorasan. His eyes paused on this river famed throughout Arabia for a few moments, and then he slowly raised his head toward the infinite horizon. There, Wang Chong ‘saw’ a vast capital. That place was the true center of politics, power, culture, and military on the entire western end of the continent.
Baghdad!
A name flashed through Wang Chong’s mind.
Abu Muslim had wanted to break Talas, occupy the Western Regions, and encroach upon the Central Plains. Ironically, at the very end, Abu Muslim had failed to threaten Chang’an. Instead, Wang Chong had campaigned westward, venturing deep into Arabia along the Silk Road and occupying Khorasan, this city on the western terminus of the Silk Road.
“General Cheng, let’s begin!” Wang Chong ordered without turning his head.
“Yes!”
Cheng Qianli had barely finished replying when an Arabian hunting falcon soared into the sky, heading toward the capital of the Arabian Empire, Baghdad.
Twenty-two hundred kilometers was a very short distance…
Proceeding from Khorasan, across the Tigris River, and then westward for another thirteen-hundred-some kilometers, was the heart of the Arabian Empire.
This city was grandiose, towers and domed palaces soaring into the sky. In this place, many soldiers, millions of civilians, and countless merchants had gathered. The economy, culture, and political scene were all extremely developed.
This place was Baghdad, the vast heart of the Arabian Empire.
In the west, it had another resounding name: ‘The Sleepless City’! In this city, people worked and celebrated throughout the day and into the night.
Creee!
Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out over Baghdad. A massive Arabian hunting falcon unfurled its wings, its feathers shaking in the wind, and then it plunged down like a sharp arrow, flying into the highest building in Baghdad, the Imperial Palace.
Rumble!
This hunting falcon’s entrance into the Imperial Palace was like a giant boulder crashing down, setting off massive waves in the empire.
“Bastard!!”
A thunderous roar came from the golden-roofed Imperial Palace, echoing throughout all of Arabia. Countless governors, generals, and nobles kneeled down, their bodies trembling in fear.
In the highest reaches of the hall, seated on a throne cast from gold, was the Caliph of Arabia, Mutasim III1, dressed in robes of white and silver thread and wearing a crown of gold. At this moment, his eyes were spitting flame and lightning.
Mutasim III was hailed as the greatest sovereign in the history of the Arabian Empire. Under his command, the Arabian Empire had conquered numerous factions, increasing the empire’s territory until it could be increased no more, attaining an age of unprecedented power and prosperity.
Countless ministers and generals and millions of elite soldiers were ready for battle, awaiting his command to
go out and conquer the world.
To say that he was one of the most authoritative and also one of the physically strongest rulers of this world would not be excessive.
But at this moment, all the resplendence and glory he had created had become nothing.
The Behemoth Army had been wiped out, the Skyquaking Army had been heavily wounded, Qutaybah was dead, Aybak was dead, Osman was dead, the Mamelukes had been destroyed… He had heard far too much terrible news recently.
Mutasim III had originally been extremely hopeful about this eastern campaign. He hoped that his vast army would be able to conquer the east and unite the continent, accomplishing a feat of unprecedented scale.
But now, all these dreams were no more. Not only that, an eastern infidel Great General and his army were now threatening his Baghdad.
And they had made an extremely overbearing demand.
This was an enormous humiliation that Mutasim III could not endure.
“Your Majesty, these Tang have only given us three days to reply, but a messenger bird will require two days to travel.” Down below, an Arab minister bedecked with jewels kneeled on the ground and spoke in a frightened tone. “If they don’t receive our reply or receive a refusal, they will immediately cross the Tigris River and besiege even more cities. This would cause the entire empire to panic.”
Mutasim III was like an enraged lion as he roared, “Useless thing! We have so many soldiers, and countless governors and generals. Can they be threatened by a single infidel? Pass on Our decree! Wipe out these Tang together with these rebels.”
Bzzzz! The palace became eerily quiet. Everyone kneeled, their heads pressed to the ground.
“Why aren’t you saying anything! Speak! We have so many soldiers, so many generals! Can they not even wipe out a measly two hundred thousand soldiers?” Mutasim III angrily rebuked.
An Arab general hesitantly spoke up. “Your, Your Majesty. In the previous battle, we sent the forces of Cairo, and the northern and eastern war zones, to Talas, an army totalling more than five hundred thousand soldiers. In the defeat at Talas, almost the entire army was wiped out. Right now, there are no more soldiers available in the eastern region.”
Another general gathered his courage and added, “That is not all. Qutaybah and Abu Muslim have always been the two strongest governors, and the number of people in the empire that can be compared to them can be counted with one’s fingers. Even if we send soldiers, it will be very hard to overcome the enemy. Moreover, gathering soldiers is not something that can be completed in just three or five days, but if we do not immediately reply to the demand of these infidels, they will immediately cross the Tigris River and attack all our cities, even… Baghdad!”
Crack!
The two had barely finished speaking when a crisp crack rang through the hall. Mutasim III’s clenched fingers had crushed the right armrest of his throne into powder. His fair and white face was now thoroughly red.
As the strongest sovereign in the history of the Arabian Empire, he had never been forced into a situation where he had no soldiers available to him.
“One billion taels of gold! One billion taels! Do all of you mean that We should agree to the demand of this madman from the east, accept this extortion, and give them so much wealth!”
Mutasim III was furious, his eyes gloomy and dark.
One billion taels of gold!
Even though Arabia had plundered the treasures of countless countries and factions over its hundreds of years of conquest, accumulating vast sums of wealth, this was still an enormous price.
“But, Your Majesty, if we do not agree, we will lose far more than one billion taels of gold,” an Arab noble said in a trembling voice. “They can advance from Khorasan and occupy even more land. Two hundred thousand soldiers together with those skilled eastern Great Generals is not something we can deal with in the short time available! In the end, even if we managed to drive them out of the empire, we would sustain severe losses.”
The cities of the east were in a perilous situation. Those two hundred thousand soldiers that remained in Khorasan, biding their time, were even more intimidating than if they had actually begun to attack. While threatening dozens of cities, they demanded one billion taels of gold as war compensation, but this was really just a ransom. Such a thing was unprecedented and unheard of, and not even during the Arabian Empire’s constant expansion had there ever been a similar incident.
But all of them had to seriously consider their options. The enemy had the strength, ambition, and daring, and the vast expanse of land they had conquered between Samarkand and Khorasan was proof that they were not just bluffing.
______________1. Mutasim III is an entirely fictional Caliph. There was an al-Mutasim who served as Abbasid Caliph, but I do not believe there was ever a second or third to hold the same name.↩
Chapter 1164 - The Caliph's Fury!
Chapter 1164: The Caliph’s Fury!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom! The Arab noble had barely spoken when a golden boot suddenly stomped down. As everyone watched with reverential gazes, Mutasim III stood up from his throne. At that moment, the entire world seemed to shake and sway, the grandiose city of Baghdad unable to bear the weight of this power.
“We will not be threatened by anyone! Even if all the cities of the east are destroyed and their people slaughtered, We will never accept such extortion from an eastern madman! Let him come to take the one billion taels of gold himself! Even if We must pay the price of half the city, We still wish to personally tear his corpse to pieces!”
Mutasim III could no longer restrain his rage, and his eyes were like lightning bolts, shining with intimidating light. In the face of the enraged Caliph, everyone fell silent, none of them daring to say a word.
In the Arabian Empire, the Caliph’s words were absolute. Once he made a decision, no one dared to try to stop him or defy him.
Just when the temperature had reached freezing point, a hoarse and mysterious voice came from outside, echoing within the hall. “If I were Your Majesty, I would send those one billion taels of gold!”
The sound of this voice caused everyone to shudder. No one had expected that someone would speak up at this moment, daring to provoke the Caliph’s wrath.
But a moment later, just when everyone was shocked at the daring of this mysterious individual, there was a flash of light, and then a long shadow was cast into the hall.
At some point, a tall and black-robed figure had appeared at the entrance to the hall. His pitch-black and wide robe was embroidered with mysterious characters made of golden thread.
“High, High Priest!!”
An Arab noble trembled at the sight of this figure, his eyes going wide. No one had expected that the mysterious person who had dared to oppose the Caliph was that most enigmatic individual of the Arabian Empire, the wielder of divine authority, the High Priest.
This was undoubtedly the most unexpected guest the Imperial Palace had received.
This was a legendary existence who had lived in the empire for several hundred years. Although almost no one had truly met the High Priest, everyone recognized his unique Sun God Robes, as well as the gnarled black staff of the Temple.
One of the High Priest’s thin hands had reached out of its sleeve like a bird’s claw to grip the staff, and churning black mist was endlessly flowing out of the sleeve.
His hood was pulled down, completely obscuring his face. He was simply standing at the entrance, motionless, and yet none of the governors, generals, or nobles in the hall could perceive his cultivation level.
Although he had truly and physically appeared before them, all of them could only sense that black and gnarled staff. Besides that, there seemed to be nothing else there.
Buzz!
The High Priest’s robes moved as he crossed the threshold and entered.
“High Priest, when did you get here!”
To everyone’s surprise
, the furious and frenzied Mutasim III seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, all the rage draining out of him. Not only had he ceased to be angry, he even looked pleasantly surprised. Bangbangbang! He excitedly rushed off the dais to personally welcome his guest.
Everyone in Arabia knew the Caliph’s attitude toward the High Priest. But only at this moment did they realize how highly he regarded him!
“Talas was a defeat, Qutaybah was killed, and the Tang from the east have taken Khorasan and now threaten Baghdad. How could I not come after such major events?” the High Priest indifferently said as he slowly walked forward. As he walked, the air rippled out from him like bright waves of water, emerging with each step he took.
Not only that, as the High Priest walked, even his body became fainter, becoming itself like a faint wave of water. It was like the person passing by was not a real person, but simply a faint ripple.
Swoosh!
In a flash, everyone retreated to the sides. Even the governors couldn’t help but lower their heads and yield the path.
The governors were of varying cultivation levels, but all of them were extremely capable. Yet they couldn’t even sense the High Priest’s breathing. All they could sense was a thick darkness that could devour all, instilling fear and dread in them.
A few moments later, the High Priest stopped in front of the Caliph. He did not bow nor show any of the respect a subject should have. He seemed to exude an aura that transcended imperial authority.
From a certain standpoint, this was an offense, an offense against the Caliph!
But the Caliph appeared to not care. Not only that, the Caliph appeared to treat the High Priest with great respect.
The Caliph strode before the High Priest and said, “High Priest! You came at just the right time. We have so many soldiers and so many generals. Must We be threatened by a child from the east of ten-some years? Arabs live for battle, and no one who surrenders can be called a warrior. We still have half an empire and one million elites. Must We yield to the Tang of the east?”
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 735
